Automatic current cut-off for electrical appliances.



U. 8. SMITH.

AUTOMATIC CURRENT CUT-OFF FOR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV 14.1914.

1,150,973. Patented Aug. 24, 1915.

IN VEN TOR WITNESSES.-

as. M Z71 umrnn VAL L110 'ULYSSES S. SMITH, OF SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOB 0E ONE-HALF TO A. C. KAUFMAN, 31 SfLCEhl/IENTO, CALIFORNIA.

AUTUl/EATIC CUPRENT CUT-OFF F03. ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES.

fl -15Q 9fig Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. November 1 3-, 1914-.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that l, ULYSSES El Yarn SMITH, a citizen of the United rotates, residing at Sacramento. in the county oi Sacramento, State of California, United States of America, have invented certain ne and useful improvements in Automatic Current Cut-Offs for Electrical Appliances; and I do declare the following to be a clear, full, and exact description of the same. such as will enable others skilled in the a t to which. it appertains to make and use the same. reference being" had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in electrical appliances and is particularly designed for the purpose of automatisally cutting off the current connection with the appliance whenever the appliance becomes overheated to such a degree as to render it liable to set a conflagration. Electric. heating irons, toasters, electric motors for vehicles and in fact all electrical heating appliances are sometimes carelessly let't connected with the current and in due time hecome overheated to such a degree as to render them extremely dangerous and it is the aim or my invention to provide a means to overcome this by breaking the current connection.

in the accompanying drawings. show the application of the device to an electric heating iron, but of course it may be applied equally as well to other electrical appliances.

A. further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive de ice and yet one which will be exceedingly ei'- fective for the purposes for which is designed.

.These objects ll accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of the parts as will fully appear by perusal of the following specification and claims.

On the drawings, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the complete electric iron with the plug in position. Fig. 2 is an enlarged top view of the button. 3 is a partial enlarged section through the iron and the button showing the stud in position. Fig. l is an enlarged top view of the stud. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view Serial No. 872,174.

the under side of the button. Fig. 6 is an edge view of the controlling spring of the device.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings the numeral 1 designates the iron and the numeral 2 the heating ring or plate thereon.

The numeral 3 designates the handle of the device, the numeral 1 the plug receiving socket, and the numeral 5 is the connecting plug having usual wires 6.

lily improved device consists of a SDllllfI member I having a slot 8 adapted to fit aw tie handle support 9 of the iron. The slot in the spring 7 is of such wioth that when the said spring is bent dow wardlv as shown in Fig. 1 the lower edge of the slot will butt against the handle support 9 there hyheeping the spring in tension as long as it is held in this position. Upon the outward extremity of the said spring 7 have formed a i'o-rlr having prongs 10 and 11 straddling the landle support 9 and proo hold the spring down have rided a stud 12 screwed through the iron and abutting against the heating el ment 13 on the bottom thereof. Thisstud also serves iy reason of the shoulder 1-1 hold the handle portion 9" firmly against the iron. iidjacent the shoulder ll, connected by a short neck 15, l have provided a substain tially rectangular shaped head 16 as clearly shown in -l-.

Adapted to over this head in l have provided in ail annular hut ton IT a. similar rectangular opening 18 which will allow the head 16 to ent r there in and then upon turning the, said button half way around it will be effectivei locked upon the head 16.

Projecting from the button 17 are round lugs 18 and from the top thereof lug 19 which will aid in handling the said button. To place the button in position, the stud 12 having been screwed into the iron,the spring 7 is pushed down over the head 16 until the said head projects through a hole l provi Led in the said spring 7 whereupon the button 1'? is placed thereon, given halt turn, and then by reason ot the outwardly ei-itending lugs 18 wi l hold the spring 7 in the desired position. the plug l may now be pushed into place and the iron will be ready for use.

The button 17 and the lugs 18 are made of a fusible substance. Hence, when the metal of the iron reaches a predetermined degree of heat, these lugs 18 will melt. This then will release the spring member 7 from its tension position and cause it to spring up wardly with which action the prongs 10 and 11 will act against the plug 5 to disconnect it from the appliance and thus break the circuit.

From the foregoing description it will readily be seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice, such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to se cure by Letters Patent is:

1. A. device of the character described comprising the combination With an electrical appliance having a removable connecting plug, of a stud projecting into said appliance and having an extending head, a tension member secured to said appliance and having a slot adapted to fit over said head, said tension member projecting normally against said connecting plug, and a fusible member reniovably connected with said head and impinging against said tension member and adapted to fuse at a prede- Qeptes of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, a

Washington, C.

wa ers.

termined temperature to release said tension member from said head and cause it to act against said plug to disconnect it from said appliance, as described.

2. A device of the character described comprising the combination with an electrical appliance having a removable connecting plug, of a tension member secured to said appliance and normally projecting under said plug, a stud projecting into said appliance and having an extended flanged head projecting through said tension member, and a fusible button'engageable With said flanged head and adapted to hold said tension member in normal tensioned position, as described.

3. A device of the character described comprising the combination with an electrical appliance having a removable connecting plug, of a tension member mounted on said appliance and projecting under said plug, a stud disposed in said appliance and having a rectangular head projecting through said tension member, a button having a rectangular opening and a recess transversely of said opening whereby said button can be applied over said head and turned to engage said head with said recess, as described.

l'n testimony whereof 1 affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ULYSSES S. SMITH.

Witnesses:

HUGH BRADFORD, A. C. KAUFMAN.

y addressing the fiommissioner of Eatents, 

